Surveillance Costs: The NSA's Impact on The Economy, Information Security, and Internet Freedom

There's a debate raging in DC and around the world about the extensive National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance programs that were first revealed this past summer--not only about whether the surveillance is consistent with constitutional and human rights, but also about the costs and the benefits of such mass surveillance. New America's National Security Studies Program recently addressed the "benefits" question by releasing an in-depth research report demonstrating that the NSA programs have done little to prevent terrorism.

This event from New America's Open Technology Institute (OTI) will look at the other side of the coin and examine the costs of the NSA programs. Such costs include not only the direct cost to the American taxpayer, but also the cost to the American Internet industry (by some estimates over $180 billion within the next few years), the cost to America's foreign relations and its work to promote "Internet Freedom" globally, and finally, the cost to Internet security itself.

Join us for a lively discussion on these and other costs of surveillance, with representatives from the Internet industry and the Internet security community along with security policy experts from the left and right, moderated by a longtime legal advocate in the surveillance and privacy world and with an introduction from the US State Department's former Director of Policy Planning, New America's President & CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter.

Join the conversation online by using #surveillancecosts and following @OTI .

If you are unable to join us in person, please tune in to our live webcast of the event. No sign up is required to view streaming video.